Superlative gastronomy at Michelin 3-star Schauenstein in Fuerstenau:

Andreas Caminada is the most known among the three Michelin 3-star chefs in Switzerland. This not only because of his cooking skills but also due to his “function” as supporter of young culinary talents. Reason for my husband and me to revisit his beautiful Schauenstein Castle (also Schloss Schauenstein) for yet another gourmet night! Andreas Caminada’s place is a foodie heaven and a stylish boutique hotel at the same time. And its beautiful setting in the Grisons pre-Alps in the eastern part of Switzerland is perfect for an easy hike, too.

Before coming to details how it is staying and dining at the historic Schauenstein Castle in Fuerstenau, here are some information about the chef and his place of action. As a final point, I will describe a hike in the area.

About Andreas Caminada

Andreas Caminada is more than an extraordinarily talented chef. He is a mentor for young chefs coming up, too! But first to his professional qualities and how he became a Michelin 3-star chef!

His career

He started his career at the Hotel Walserhof in Klosters (Grisons/Switzerland) where he trained to become a chef. After working at several known restaurants in Switzerland (for instance Wirtschaft zum Wiesengrund in Uetikon, Hans-Peter Hussong, 2 Michelin stars, closed since 2018) and abroad (for instance Restaurant Bareiss in Baiersbronn/Germany, Claus-Peter Lumpp, 3 Michelin stars), he decided to set up his own restaurant in 2003. At the young age of 26 he signed a lease for Schauenstein Castle where he has been in charge ever since.

Within a few years he made a name for himself in the culinary world. In 2005, he was awarded his first Michelin star and became the Gault Millau discovery of the year. Since 2009 he has held 19 Gault Millau points. A year later, he received his third Michelin star. In addition, he has ranked in the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants again and again since 2011.

It is Andreas Caminada’s culinary credo to reflect the history and the nature of his home region, the Grisons in the country’s southeast, in his cooking. And this means local lamb belly, sea buckthorn and trout instead of imported lobster, caviar or truffle. Each member of his kitchen team also works in the castle’s extensive plant gardens where they grow for example 25 tomato varieties. And Andreas Caminada relies on local producers just as Marcel Foffa (artichokes or Charentais melons) or the Heinrich family in Filisur (the tiniest and tastiest potatoes).

Andreas Caminada’s talent pool

Quite a few of his former team members became successful chefs themselves. Nenad Mlinarevic (2-star Michelin, Bauernschaenke & Neue Taverne in Zurich), Sven Wassmer (2-star Michelin, Memories in Bad Ragaz, my post)

or Marco Campanella (1-star Michelin, La Brezza Eden Roc in Ascona, my post) were forged in the fire of Schauenstein Castle, to name a few.

Other longtime collaborators of the chef work at Andreas Caminada’s second restaurant brand, Igniv, launched in 2015. The name means bird’s nest in Rhaeto-Romanic. The first one was established at the Hotel Grand Resort Bad Ragaz – where I had a reservation at Easter that unfortunately was canceled because of a Corona outbreak – headed by Silvio Germann (2-star Michelin). Other branches are in Saint Moritz (Hotel Badrutt’s Palace, 2-star Michelin), in Zurich (Hotel Marktgasse, 1-star Michelin) and in Bangkok (Hotel St Regis). At the Igniv restaurants, a fine dining sharing experience is on offer.

Andreas Caminada also received the Michelin Mentor Award that recognizes him as an exceptional teacher, guide and supporter of young talents. Furthermore, he established the Fundaziun Uccelin, a foundation aimed at fostering individual artisan talents, too.

So much to the chef, his career and his role of talent developer, now to his “small empire” at Schauenstein Castle.

About Schauenstein Castle in Fuerstenau

My first gourmet weekend at Schauenstein Castle was back in 2012. Everything was a bit smaller than nowadays, yet the dining experience was just as good as in 2020 on my last visit. But more to the food later on. Now the castle and Fuerstenau are in the spotlight.

History

I do not want to bore you with details to the place’s history, but a few words to this topic seem appropriate.

In a time where some places were granted a city status (or not), Fuerstenau was lucky to get this attribution. It took place back in 1272 shortly after the Schauenstein Castle had been built. Thus, it became the smallest city in the world with just a few buildings. Today, you can only guess about the appearance of the original castle, which used to be part of medieval fortifications.

In 1742, the Schauenstein Castle burnt down. Only its eastern part was rebuilt in its former glory. Notwithstanding that, the castle and its surroundings remain a picturesque place, embedded in the rollings hills of the Domleschg municipality.

Schauenstein Castle & “lord of the castle” Andreas Caminada

The first decade: 6 rooms, Remisa La Tavlada, Acasa

In 2003, Andreas Caminada leased the Schauenstein Castle from the Heinrich Schwendener Foundation, who had owned it since 1998. The castle was extensively renovated und converted in a restaurant with hotel rooms. Since then, the castle presents itself in a perfect mix of classic and contemporary.

The Schauenstein Castle featured six guest rooms and suites, two dining rooms, salon,

wine cellar, sauna in the cellar vaults and gardens. In 2012, Andreas Caminada opened the Remisa La Tavlada (table fellowship) in the former coachmen’s quarters. It was used as café on weekends and as space for private functions in the evening. And if I remember correctly, we had breakfast here on our first stay in 2012.

In the same year, the busy chef opened the high-end catering service Acasa, together with his longtime friend Sandro Steingruber (they trained together at the Walserhof in Klosters). The latter used to be chef at Restaurant Epoca at Hotel Waldhaus in Flims/Grisons. I dearly remember a fantastic dinner that my family had here in 2006.

The second decade: 19 rooms, 2nd restaurant brand, 2nd restaurant

After ten successful years at the Schauenstein Castle, Andreas Caminada did not come to standstill. Quite the opposite, he did not stop hatching new ideas.

In 2015, he launched his second restaurant brand Igniv by Andreas Caminada (see under “Andrea’s Caminada talent pool”). In the same year, he established the foundation Fundaziun Ucceclin (dito).

As to the castle itself, the chef made more space for three more guest rooms and suites as from 2017. And this in the Meierhaus, built in 1742 for the “mayor of the palace”. This is where my husband and I stayed on our recent visit in 2020.

From the beginning of 2018, Schauenstein Castle was closed for five months due to an expansion and renovation project. The restaurant and hotel reopened in June 2018, and this with a new annex called Casa Caminada. It was constructed out of two stables and houses a hotel with ten rooms, restaurant, bakery, shop and pantry.

All in all, there are now 19 guest rooms in Fuerstenau to choose from plus two restaurants. And the “city” has become a place of enjoyment indeed. And you know what happens next? Andreas Caminada has just announced that he is going to open a new restaurant in the (former) Remisa. This time it is an upscale vegetarian spot called Oz (Today in Rhaeto-Romanic).

As to accommodation and dining options, I will go into details in the next paragraphs.

2 hotels & 2 restaurants: Schauenstein Castle & Casa Caminada

I start with the Casa Caminada, the newest project in Andreas Caminada’s portfolio.

Casa Caminada (down-to-earth place)

I have neither stayed nor dined here yet, but friends of mine have, and they found it good. Of course I had a look at it, at least I made some purchases at the shop and the bakery and had a look at the entrance area. Generally said, the Casa Caminada is the smaller sister of Schauenstein Castle. Everything is deliberately kept simpler and more affordable.

As mentioned, it offers ten rooms. There are small double rooms (about 19 sqm) and larger family rooms that are suited for couples as well (37-40 sqm). They are contemporarily styled and look comfortable.

As to the restaurant, it is an affordable, uncomplicated place with modern touches. You get here traditional food with a twist yet also some more refined choices. The menu comprises regional classics just as Maluns and Pizzoccheri (hearty, similar to pasta), too.

Andreas Caminada’s other place, Schauenstein Castle, is of a different kind.

Schauenstein Castle (gourmet hideaway)

Staying and dining at Schauenstein Castle, though, is another story. It is a dignified building with nine luxury guest rooms. Some are more on the classic side, others on the modern one. And you find here gardens to linger in and a swimming pool.

In 2012, my husband and I had the spacious Suite Erde with a mix of contemporary and historical features.

On our recent visit, we were lucky to get a short-notice reservation and were booked into the Room Canova

in the “Meierhaus”. While this accommodation is not large, it is “homey” with a modern touch, well appointed and has a generous bathroom.

And there is a lounge on the ground floor of the Meierhaus where you can enjoy a welcome aperitif.

When staying in Fuerstenau end of 2020, breakfast took place on the castle’s upper floor in a beauty of a salon.

In 2012, we were brought here for coffee or tea. And we were treated back then to a variety of petit fours that was one of a kind! And the chef appeared to talk to us what was much appreciated.

Normally, you have to book well in advance to secure a room and a table at Schauenstein Castle. Reservations are accepted up to eight months before. If you are flexible, you might find short-term booking opportunities on the home page under the section “Reservations“.

While the lodging and the opportunities to relax at Schauenstein Schauenstein are nice, you come here to enjoy Andreas Caminada’s Michelin 3-star cuisine.

Dining experience 

Dining at Schauenstein Castle is a sublime culinary experience as you would expect it from a 3-star Michelin chef. When comparing my dinner here back in 2012 with the one I recently have had, some differences show. While Andreas Caminada focuses nowadays on the best regional produce available, he also incorporated such from abroad at the time. And he liked to serve particular ingredients in three variations on our first visit. Think for example of goose liver as ice cream, terrine and creme brûlée. This time, the chef almost solely made pairings, yet the most astonishing ones!

While I know exactly what we had for dinner back in 2012 (we got cards of every single dish that we could put in a booklet), I cannot not provide any food shots from this meal. At the time, we considered taking pictures of food in high-end restaurants as inappropriate. As to the recent dinner, this is different. Well, times have changed, and I have pictures available!

Six-course dinner

On this specific day, we could either choose three, four, five or six courses (the number may vary). These were priced 216, 236, 254 or 270 SFR/US$, which seems adequate. My husband and I went for the whole shebang.

The dinner started promising with an array of delightful snacks, followed by an amuse bouche made of onion & beef.

Next was a series of starters: onion & physalis, aubergine & ham, red cabbage & yoghurt, sauerkraut & buttermilk/potato, all of them feasts for the eyes and the palate.

Then it was time for the mains: char & kohlrabi/quince, veal sweetbreads & fennel, pikeperch & pumpkin, deer & beetroot/kefir. The pairings were perfect, every creation was full of taste.

Cheese and sweets made the end of the dinner. First, we got Swiss cheese accompanied by cold cuts, potatoes and maluns. The latter is a traditional Grisons dish made with grated potatoes, flour and butter. What a good idea to bring in a more rustic dish!

The dessert combined plums with yoghurt and red wine. A great threesome to satisfy the sweet tooth. And of course some tasty petit fours sweetened the farewell!

How was it?

Expectations are high, of course, with such a decorated restaurant. And Andreas Caminada did deliver. Everything was perfect, from the first to the last minute. Maybe I was not wowed by each and every dish in the same extent. It is all a matter of taste. In any case, the chef is a true master, and the dinner was a real epicurean experience! Andreas Caminada certainly is progressive in his way of cooking, looking to achieve the effect through taste and harmony. And once again, the chef found time to chat with us, what a lovely touch!

If you have a few hours to spare that you want to spend actively, why not go on an easy hike in the pre-Alpine Domleschg area, as my husband and I did. Here are the details of our walk.

Walk the Domleschg castle trail (easy hike)

Schauenstein Castle parking – Scharans – Almens – Lake Canova – Paspels – Sins Castle – gravel plant – paved road – Lower Rhine river trail – Schauenstein Castle forested area –  Schauenstein Castle parking

Duration: about 2 1/2 hours / Ascent: 117 m/384 ft

In the near surroundings of Schauenstein Castle you find the biggest number of castles in the whole canton of Grisons. There is even a trail that brings you to these monuments. And it passes Schauenstein Castle as well, where my husband and I started our tour to do a part of it.

You head toward east – on the paved road past the Schauenstein Castle parking – and reach the first village, Scharans. Half an hour later – and having encountered castles at every turn – , you come to Almens, another small place. Here you take a glimpse at a sculpture of a woman at lofty heights

before continuing your way towards the picturesque Lake Canova. In summer, you can take a bath in here.

Shortly afterwards, the village of Paspels comes into view. Here you pass the privately owned Sins Castle. A few minutes later, you turn left – at a gravel plant – and walk towards the Lower Rhine river. When you get to a paved road, you turn left again and start making your way back to Schauenstein Castle. First, along this road, then – before coming to the village of Rodels – along the Lower Rhine river.

When you see the Schauenstein Castle appear – at least the fortification walls – , you keep to the left. You cross the forested area around the castle, before you reach the paved road leading to the Schauenstein Castle parking, the starting point of your hike.

Date of stay: October 2020

Pin it for later

The post Staying & dining at Andreas Caminada’s place, THE top chef in Switzerland’s culinary scene first appeared on Swiss Traveler